The October update has arrived on Animal Jam, and the Archives team is back with another multi-author update overview. This update is so massive we’ve had to split it into two separate blog posts! Let’s not waste any time and jump right into all of the spooky content added for this Night of the Phantoms Update.

New Playable… Animal..? - Daffodil135

Hey Jammers! We are getting super close to October. You know what that means! The Night of the Phantoms is upon us! It also means that the phantoms are up to their old tricks again. For centuries, phantoms have been a huge problem in Jamaa and the alphas were called to help stop them once and for all!

However, not all phantoms are bad. Over the years, we learned that there are some phantoms that mean no harm and just want to be loved. Thus, we adopted some as our loveable new pets. But this year, it's time to kick it up a notch. This year why adopt a phantom, when you can BECOME ONE? That’s right, jammers! PLAYABLE PHANTOMS ARE NOW IN ANIMAL JAM! Have you ever wondered what it would be like to become a phantom? Well, now you can!

For just 180 sapphires at your local sapphire shop, you can obtain this punky playable phantom and scare your friends for Halloween! Customize cool and spooky outfits with your playable phantom and be sure to use secondary color controls for cool tip designs! You also have the option to purchase the playable phantom with a special exclusive bundle for 250 sapphires. The bundle includes the Spirited Outfit, an adorable yet spooky five-piece set. You’ll also be able to choose one of six different color sets when you buy it!

Let us know your thoughts about the spooktacular playable phantom!

New Phantom Attacks on Jamaa - Asteralium

Asteralium checking in! As you may know, the past few years during this spooky season, the phantoms launch an attack against Jamaa. Their plan for this year’s Night of the Phantoms event is something that we’ve never seen before. Last month, phantoms in hardhats could be seen lurking around the Alpha Headquarters in the phantom dimension. Now, their plan has become somewhat clearer.

In the Jamaa Journal, Liza states that the phantoms are using music to take control of the Lines of Power, an ancient flow of energy that runs throughout the ground that Jamaa’s civilization is built on top of. Additionally, Graham and Cosmo have found that this energy comes in two forms: Light and Dark energy. Light energy is what’s contained within the Lines of Power. Dark energy comes from the dark fossils that have been discovered buried in the ground by other jammers, as well as the music the phantoms are pumping through the Lines of Power.

Sure enough, visiting Jamaa Township reveals that cracks are forming around the fountain, alongside a strange dark swirl of energy. I investigated further in the phantom dimension and found… well… the Alpha HQ already demolished. Instead is a large cloud of phantom smog, occasionally flashing, and blasting dark energy into the fountain. That energy seems to emit music notes, and a familiar tune can be faintly heard from the smog. I won’t say exactly what this is hinting at here in writing, because I don’t want someone to see it and be spoiled. But… let’s just say it might be something related to a recent article we published.

The alphas also seem to have some differing opinions on what to do about the situation. Peck wants to fight back with light, but Graham and Greely are thinking of a different approach.

Finally, like previous years, phantoms have begun invading the various lands of Jamaa. They’ll drop in randomly in any of the major areas, and can be attacked with paintseeds thrown via launcher items. If you and the other animals in the area manage to defeat one, it’ll drop two treasure chests. One is members-only, while the other is for everyone. These chests contain exclusive Halloween items, gems, tokens, and even Alpha items very rarely. It’s definitely worth it to drop what you’re doing and help drive out these phantoms when possible.

Returning Spooks - KuteKoolkitten & Asteralium

Are you ready for tons of Night of The Phantoms fun? The Spooky party is back and the perfect place to celebrate! You can visit this party by tapping the parties tab on the top of your screen, though it’s only is available every few hours. Be sure to check out all of the cool items in the spooky shop as well! Below is a gallery of everything you can find there, to help you decided if you want to make the trip. You can click on each image to expand it and show the items in more detail.

On the same Jamaa Journal page, it was announced that pet vampire bats are returning to the Sapphire Shop. However, it seems that they haven’t actually arrived yet. We’re sure they’ll be flying in soon, though!

Additionally, the iconic mini games Super Sweets and Light In The Dark are back as well with some incredible prizes! To play these games, simply find a phantom-like portal in Jamaa and you will be teleported to a room where you can access the games. Some of the new prizes include spooky blueprints and haunted alpha portraits.

Advanced Shopping - Bradstormer

Teased in September’s update sneak peek, advanced shopping finally has been released. When toggled on in the settings, advanced shopping revamps the purchasing process in all of Jamaa’s shops, putting items in a cart instead of buying immediately, similarly to what online websites do. Item counts up to 999 can be instantly bought like this, so the days of spending 2 hours to buy 625 pets are over, it can all be done in a few clicks, just be sure to have enough funds before buying! This feature is for members only.

Night Watch Mission - Bradstormer

For all the night owls out there, AJ added the Night Watch mission to make the nocturnal hunts worthwhile. For this mission, click on one of each nocturnal animal, and 75 total nocturnal animals. This might take a bit to complete, but the reward is a cool dark blue nametag and badge. Happy hunting!

There’s More Coming!

There’s even more stuff coming for Night of the Phantoms later in the month! We’ll be covering much of it in more detail in the second blog post on the subject. But for now, we’ll leave you with a link to AJHQ’s sneak peak video where they show off a few yet to be released features, like a new den and pets!

Happy jamming, and we’ll see you very soon!